Photoglass shipping apparatus

ABSTRACT

A coordinated slotted photoglass or mask processing and printing carrier and light tight shipping container is described. The carrier is provided with means for holding photosensitive glass plates safely and reliably in substantial parallelism to enhance ultrasonic cleaning and to permit processing with a minimum of handling of the plates. The carrier is further adapted to cooperate with automated processing and printing equipment and is provided with means to insure proper orientation of the carrier within and without the container under low light conditions.

[ Oct. 30, 1973 1 PHOTOGLASS SHIPPING APPARATUS {75] Inventors: Carl R.Betz, Los Altos; Ivan H.

McCracken, Cupertino both of Calif.

[73] Assignee: Microiab Systems Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif.

[22] Filed: Nov. 25, 1970 [21] Appl.N0.: 92,853

[52] US. Cl. ..'95/l00, 220/4 B [51] Int. Cl. G03d 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch 95/70, 100;

206/46 FC; 220/9 F, 4, 4 B

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,782,068 11/1930 Hazell95/100 2,122,723 7/1938 Pinkham 95/100 3,443,661 5/1969 Van S'civer206/46 FC X 1,661,378 3/1928 McKellar... 95/100 1,846,876 2/1932 Kendig95/70 2,344,710 3/1 944 McMurtry.. 95/100 X 2,447,986 8/1948 Millman95/100 2,523,908 Johnsen 95/100 3,069,002 12/1962 Hart 95/100 UX3,103,278 9/1963 Kuzma et 31.. 220/9 F 3,199,431 8/1965 Hill 95/1003,251,460 5/1966 Edmonds 206/46 FC 3,316,827 5/1967 Hill 95/1003,346,137 10/1967 Ricci 206/46 FC Primary Examiner-John M. HoranAttorney-Warren M. Becker and Jerald E. Rosenblum [57] ABSTRACT Acoordinated slotted photoglass or mask processing and printing carrierand light tight shipping container is described. The carrier is providedwith means for holding photosensitive glass plates safely and reliablyin substantial parallelism to enhance ultrasonic cleaning and to permitprocessing with a minimum of handling of the plates. The carrier isfurther adapted to cooperate with automated processing and printingequipment, and is provided with means to insure proper orientation ofthe carrier within and without the container under low light conditions.

2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures mlzmmwao ma 3; 758393 SHEET 1 BF 2INVENTORS.

. CARL R. BETZ IVAN H. MCCRACKEN BY H6 4 ATTORNEYS j INVEN RS1 A L IR.BET BY N H. McCRACKEN ATTORNEYS PHOTOGLASS SHIPPING APPARATUS BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Photoglass plates and photomasks as they are commonlycalled, are used in the electronics industry in the making ofminiaturized printed circuits, integrated circuits, and other types ofelectronic components which require a high degree of precision in theirmanufacture.

Typically, a photoglass plate comprises a glass plate which serves as asubstrate. One surface of this plate is coated with a light sensitiveemulsion while the other surface may carry an antihalation coating.Photographic techniques are employed to print a desired image on theplate. This plate is then processed in a series of chemical solutions toculminate in a photomask.

Since the circuits in the electronic components made with the masks areextremely small and have extremely stringent tolerances, great care andprecision is required in making the masks. Mask quality is assuredthrough rigid control of both the processing environment and fabricatingtechniques.

The photoglass is processed in a temperature controlled air-filteredclean room environment. To prevent emulsion damage which might be causedby glass chips or other minute particulate matter, special vacuumsystems are employed during cutting. Prior to packaging and shipping,the photoglass then may be ultrasonically cleaned. The ultrasoniccleaning process may be repeated prior to printing.

Heretofore, a variety of photoglass plate and photomask printing andprocessing carriers as well as light tight shipping containers have beenproposed. and are being used. A number of these take the form of aconventionalslide film cartridge with opposing rows of verticallyoriented rectangularly shaped holding slots. Such shaped slots, however,are undesirable due to their tendency to damage the emulsion on thesurface of the photoglass plate. Other known carriers which usetriangularly shaped holding slots for limiting contact to the extremeedges ofthe plate are not made or readily adapted for use in cooperationwith a light tight shipping container thereby necessitating undesirablehandling of the photoglass between a shipping carrier and a processingcarrier. They have also been found to impede transfer of ultrasonicenergy and the flow of fluids used during ultrasonic cleaning.

Known carriers are further found to be unsuitable with automatedprinting and/or processing equipment and are not provided with means forquickly and reliably assuring proper orientation of the carrier'duringprinting and/or processing which isperformed under low or red lightconditions. 7

Accordingly, there is foundto be a present and serious need for acoordinated photoglass and photomask handling, printingand processingcarrier and light tight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A coordinated photoglass and photomask carrierand shipping container is the principal object of the present invention.The photoglass and photomask carrier is provided with triangularlyshaped side. slots adapted to hold glass plates in substantialparallelismto enhance I ultrasonic cleaning and processing of theirsurfaces. The triangularly shaped side slots and a pair of inclinedbottom supporting rails are provided to make edge contact with theplates to prevent abrasions to the plate surfaces, and to enhancedrainage of the cleaning and processing fluids. This is importantbecause one surface of the plate supports a light sensitive emulsion,while the other may support an antihalation coating. The carrier isfurther provided with means which cooperates with automated printing andprocessing equipment and with other means which cooperate withassociated parts of a light tight shipping container to insure properorientation of the carrier during processing and printing of the platesunder low or red light conditions.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent in the following detailed description of accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partially broken awayperspective elevation view showing the light tight seal and externalstacking and orientation notches and bosses of the shipping container ofthe present invention.

*FIG. 2 is a'plan view of the shipping container of FIG. 1 with thecover removed showing the internal carrier orientating bosses.

FIG. 3'is a cross sectional view of the shipping container of thepresent invention along lines 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged partial exploded sectional view along lines 3A-3Aof FIG. 3. v

FIG. 4 is a partially broken away elevation view of the maskcarrier andprocessing carrier of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is aplan view of the carrier of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial view of the carrier of the presentinvention along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG.. 7 is a cross-sectional. view of the carrier of the presentinvention along lines 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the bottom rail of thecarrier of the present invention along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial elevation view of an alternative rail ofthe carrier of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the alternative rail along lines10-10 of FIG. 9. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In'FIGS. 1,2 and 3 there is shpwn a light tightrectangularly shaped shipping container 1 adapted for use in conjunctionwith a photoglass and. mask carrier 20,.

shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, incorporatingfeatures of the present invention.Container 1 comprises a hollow bottom member Zand a hollow cover 3.Member 2 and cover3 are adapted to mate with one another in a lighttightmanner by means ofa light tight seal 4 inthe nature of a mortise Sand a tenon 6. Mortise 5 is formed by a recess in the lower edgeof cover3-which extends completely around the lower periphery of cover 3. Thetenon 6 isformed by araised portion on the upper edge of bottom member 2boundedby an inwardly directed shoulder 7 and an outwardlydirectedshoulder8 which extend completely. around the upper peripheryofbottom member. 2. If the width of mortise 5 is such as to closely matewith the inside wall andoutside wall of tenon 6,.the friction betweenthe matingisurfaces will result in a boxthat isvery difficult to opemlf,on the other hand, adequate clearances are provided so that the boxcomes apart readily, the integrity of the light seal will be degraded.Both of these problems are compounded by the fact that a limit exists tothe tolerances that can be maintained in a production plastic moldingoperation.

A feature of the mortise and tenon seal that effec tively minimizesthese problems is illustrated in FIG. 3A. The tenon 6 is madesubstantially smaller than is required to mate with mortise 5. Theinwardly directed wall of tenon 6 is provided with a plurality oflow-relief bosses 9, such that the boss forms the mate to the insidewall of the mortise. The outside wall of tenon 6 is thus forced to matewith the outward wall of the mortise, thus preserving the integrity ofthe light seal. However, the frictional resistance of the seal isgreatly reduced. Dimensional tolerances become substantially lesscritical, and the container is rendered much easier to open.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, bottom member 2 is further provided with anumber of rectangularly shaped bosses 10, 11, 12 which extend outwardlyfrom the external surface of the bottom of member 2. Though bosses 10, 11, and 12 are typically rectangular in shape, other shapes may be used.Typically, bosses l and 1 l are spaced apart and located in the vicinityof the two corners at the left end of bottom member 2 while boss 12 iscentrally located near the edge of the right end of bottom member 2. Ascan be seen by reference to the top surface of cover 3 as shown in FIG.1, bosses 10, 11 and 12 correspond and are adapted to mate with acorresponding number of similarly shaped indents 13, 14 and 15. Bosses10, l1, l2 and the corresponding indents 13, 14, 15 in cover 3 serve topermit stable stacking of a number of containers 1. As will be apparentbosses l0-12 and indents 13-15 also serve to permit an operator inpractice to determine quickly and efficiently the orientation of thecarrier contained in a container 1 without opening the container.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown in the interior of bottom member 2 apair of spaced apart aligning or orienting members 16, 17 of distinctiveshapes centrally located on the lower surface and near the left andright ends of bottom member 2 respectively. Typically, member 16 isU-shaped and member 17 is T-shaped. Other shapes, however, may be usedso long as they are adapted to mate with the carrier 20 of the presentinvention as hereinafter described. Members 16, 17 serve to maintain thecarrier 20 centrally located within the interior surfaces of bottommember 2 and also serve to insure, in cooperation with correspondingparts of carrier 20, proper orientation of carrier 20.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 there is shown in detail the carrier 20adapted for use in conjunction with con tainer 1 previously described.

Carrier 20 is typically rectangular in'shape and comprises a pair of endmembers 21,22 spaced apart and supported by a pair of slotted sidemembers 23, 24 and a pair of spaced apart notched bottom rails 25, 26. Amember 27 is centrally located between side members 23, 24 for addedstrength. A pair of handles 28, 29 extend outwardly from the upper edgeof end members 21, 22 and serve to facilitate general handling andremoval and insertion of carrier 20 from and into container l. A notch30 is provided in handle 29 for carrier orientation.

Since in practice each of the photoglass plates is initially inserted incarrier 20 with a predetermined orientation relative to one or the otherof its surfaces, it is apparent by reference to each of the means fororienting carrier 20 that an operator is able to determine quickly andefficiently, even under low or red light conditions, the orientation ofthe photoglass plates at all steps of the processing and printingwhether carrier 20 is within or without container 1.

Side member 23, 24 are narrower than the length of the side member towhich they are attached and are fixed to an upper portion near the sideedges of the end members 23, 24 so as to leave a void 31 between the vlower edge of side members 23, 24 and bottom rails 25,

26. As shown in more detail in FIG. 6, each of side members 23, 24comprise a plurality of inwardly directed triangularly shaped members 32which serve to form a plurality of spaced apart outwardly directedtriangularly shaped slots 33 for holding the glass plates. Contact isthereby limited to the extreme edges of the plates to eliminate damageto the usable surface and coatings placed on the plates. The slots 33are of sufficient length to insure substantial parallelism betweenadjacent plates and proper seating of the plates in notches in thebottom rails 25, 26 but not so long as to seriously reduce the size ofvoid 31. Alternatively, each of side members 23, 24 may comprise two ormore spaced apart relatively narrow strips.

Void 31 should be as large as possible to facilitate processing andefficient ultrasonic cleaning and drying. As is well known in suchcleaning technique, wave motion is set up in the cleaning fluid andpasses over the surface of the plates held in slots 33. Unless theplates are substantially parallel and maintained a predetermineddistance apart, the wave action is distorted and cleaning efficiencydeteriorates.

Bottom rails 25, 26 are attached to the lower interior edge of endmembers 21, 22 and located interior of side members 23, 24. Rails 25, 26are of a generally triangular shape and provided with a plurality ofnotches 35 as shown in FIG. 5, 7 and 8. Notches 35 comprise an inclinedportion 36 and a relatively narrow horizontal portion 37. Inclinedportion 36 serves to enhance drainage of the cleaning and photoprocessing fluids from the plates. Horizontal portion 37 serves to carrythe plates being held within slots 33 and is limited in size to thatsufficient to prevent scoring and breakage of the plates during theirinsertion in carrier 20 and during subsequent shipping. Notches 35 arepositioned such that they are in registration with slots 33 in sidemembers 23, 24. If the width of side members 23, 24 is sufficient tomaintain the plates in substantial parallelism, bottom rails 25, 26 maybe provided without notches providing efficient and thorough cleaninganddraining of the plates is not required or seriously impaired in aparticular operation.

For plates having by specific design a slightly greater thickness,bottom rail 25 is modified as shown in detail in FIG. 9, 10. Asmodified, bottom rail 25 is provided with a plurality of notches 40having a first inclined and horizontal portion 36, 37 and a secondslightly wider inclined and horizontal portion 38, 39. The secondinclined and horizontal portion 38, 39 also serve to enhance drainageand prevent damage to the slightly thicker plates as described abovewith respect to portions 36, 37.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower edges of end members 22 and 23 areprovided with notches 41, 42, 43. Notches 41, 42 correspond with and areengaged by the opposing legs, 46 47 of orienting member 16 shown in FIG.2 when carrier 20 is inserted in bottom member 2 of container 1.Similarly notch 43 corresponds with and is engaged by leg 48 oforienting member 17. Together members 16, 17 and notches 41, 4'2, 43serve to hold carrier 2t) centrally located and specifically orientatedwithin container 1 during shipping. An additional notch 44, shown inFIG. 5 is located in the bottom edge of member 2''! in registration withnotch 4-3 in end member 22.

Notch 4d may function in conjunction with automated processingequipment, which may sense notches 43 and 4d and the absence of notchesin registration therewith, end member 21 thereby providing an indicationthat carrier 20 has passed through a full cycle during processing. It isunderstood that other arrangements of notches or other sensing means maybe used as desired to perform the same function. In the preferredembodiment, the dimensions of carrier 20 are chosen to present uniformindexing increments, as for example, one-fourth inch or multiplesthereof, in order that a number of carriers may be continuously fed intothe automated equipment.

Carrier 20 and container ll may be made of any material suitable for theenvironment in which they are used. Typically, container 1 is moldedfrom high impact polystyrene and is opaque to all light and black incolor to reduce light reflections. Carrier 20 is molded frompolyprophylene which does not react with typical chemicals used incleaning and processing. Since the system is designed to accommodateseveral sizes of glass plates, some means such as a sealed plastic foamblanket is used to till the void between the plates and the containercover; thus preventing undue movement of contents of the shippingcontainer.

We claim:

1. A photoglass shipping apparatus comprising:

a. a plate processing and shipping carrier having,

i. first and second spaced apart end members, said first end memberprovided with a first means and said second member provided with asecond means adapted to cooperate with corresponding first and secondmeans in a shipping container for centrally locating and providinginterlocking registration in the shipping container;

ii. elongated side members disposed between and fixedly secured at eachend! to an upper portion of each of said end members, said side membersincluding a plurality of inwardly directed triangularly shaped slotsparallel to and shorter in length than the length of the sides of theend members along which said side members are attached and; iii. anelongated bottom rail disposed between and fixedly secured at each endto a lower portion of each of said end members; and b. a container forsaid plate carrier having,

i. a cover and a bottom member adapted to mate in a light tight manner,said cover being provided with a recess provided about the periphery ofits mating edge, said bottom member being provided with a raised portionabout the periphery of its mating edge, said raised portion beingadapted to engage said recess in said cover; and

ii. first and second means located in the interior of said bottom memberadapted to interlockingly engage said first and second means of saidplate processing and shipping carrier to hold said first and second endmembers centrally located within said container.

2. A light tight container for photoglass comprising a cover member anda bottom member, said members having mating peripheral edges, one ofsaid members having a recess about the periphery of its mating edge, theother of said members having a raised portion about the periphey of itsmating edge, said raised portion having a plurality of bosses located atpredetermined portions thereon for reducing friction between said raisedportion and said recess whereby said cover and said bottom member may bemore readily separated.

1. A photoglass shipping apparatus comprising: a. a plate processing andshipping carrier having, i. first and second spaced apart end members,said first end member provided with a first means and said second memberprovided with a second means adapted to cooperate with correspondingfirst and second means in a shipping container for centrally locatingand providing interlocking registration in the shipping container; ii.elongated side members disposed between and fixedly secured at each endto an upper portion of each of said end members, said side membersincluding a plurality of inwardly directed triangularly shaped slotsparallel to and shorter in length than the length of the sides of theend members along which said side members are attached and; iii. anelongated bottom rail disposed between and fixedly secured at each endto a lower portion of each of said end members; and b. a container forsaid plate carrier having, i. a cover and a bottom member adapted tomate in a light tight manner, said cover being provided with a recessprovided about the periphery of its mating edge, said bottom memberbeing provided with a raised portion about the periphery of its matingedge, said raised portion being adapted to engage said recess in saidcover; and ii. first and second means located in the interior of saidbottom member adapted to interlockingly engage said first and secondmeans of said plate processing and shipping carrier to hold said firstand second end members centrally located within said container.
 2. Alight tight container for photoglass comprising a cover member and abottom member, said members having mating peripheral edges, one of saidmembers having a recess about the periphery of its mating edge, theother of said members having a raised portion about the periphery of itsmating edge, said raised portion having a plurality of bosses located atpredetermined portions thereon for reducing friction between said raisedportion and said recess whereby said cover and said bottom member may bemore readily separated.